Mind Games
by CassidyCoyote
Summary: The Loonatics are asked to help out at a topsecret lab. Things get very confusing when one of the machines seemingly goes haywire. Later, Tech has a very hard decision to make, the safety of Acmetropolis, or Cassidy. Sequel to Giddy Up, Loonatics!
1. Chapter 1

**Sequel to "Giddy Up, Loonatics!"**

**I don't own the Loonatics, except Cassidy.**

**"Mind Games"**

**Prologue: "A Visitor"**

"Can somebody please get Duck to stop snoring?" Lexi pleaded. "I tried poking him and yelling in his ear, but he is out like a light."

"We're a little bit busy here, Lexi." Tech replied, his eyes locked on to the computer screen. Cassidy and Rev were seated in chairs beside him, busy working.

The Loonatics had been asked to help with security at a lab. The scientists had been working on several projects that needed to be gaurded extra carefully. Ace and Slam were walking around the lab to make sure everything was locked up, while the others were in the security room, watching the cameras.

"I've got an idea." Cassidy stood up. She walked up to the chair that Duck had fallen asleep in. She reached out and gave him a slap in the back of the head.

"Huh? What's going on? Where's the bad guy?" Duck jumped up.

Tech smirked. "Right behind you."

"GAH!" Duck scrambled out of his chair, but tripped and landed on his face. Lexi, Tech, Rev, and Cassidy burst out laughing.

"Well, it sounds like you guys are having fun." Ace commented as he and Slam entered the room. "Anything to report?"

"Other than the fact that Duck was snoring louder than fireworks on the Fourth of July, nothing." Tech said.

"Looks like this may be our easiest mission yet." Lexi pointed out.

-------------------------------------------

A shadowy figure peeked around the corner of a building nearby the lab. The person pulled out a small, cellphone-like machine. The machine scanned the lab, searching for something. It beeped when it found what it was looking for. The person smirked evilly at the sight of a tall coyote, dressed in black and green. "I have you now, Tech E. Coyote. You can't evade me now."

**(End Chapter)**

**Betcha can't guess who the 'visitor' is!**


	2. Chapter 2 : Return Of The Menace

**YAYS! My first official 'fight scene!' Not as long as I hoped, but I like it, anyway!  
Man, I've been busy today! falls over  
Chapter 2: "Return of the Menace"**

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Tech glanced up at the computer as it began to beep. "We have an intruder."

"Who?" Slam asked, stepping behind him.

"Mastermind." Tech gave a small growl.

Cassidy was confused. _'Mastermind?'_

"Let's jet, Loonatics!" Ace led the way into the main hall.

**.YELLOW TRIANGLE.**

"Ahh.. the Loonatics. I see you found me." Mastermind taunted them as they ran through the door.

"How about we skip the hide-and-seek game and go straight to the part where we prove that you can't win!" Ace pulled out his Gaurdian Strike Sword.

"No thanks, how about the part where you si..." seeing Cassidy, she corrected herself, "seven get your tails kicked!" She reached into her pocket and threw out several disk-shaped items which landed on the floor in front of them.

Duck began laughing. "It's going to take more that bad aim and a bad throwing arm to protect yourself!"

"I know." Mastermind smirked as the disks began growing into large robots. "Destructo-bots attack!"

The Loonatics split up into three groups, Tech, Rev, and Cassidy, Ace and Lexi, Duck and Slam.

Tech glanced at Cassidy. "Need a lift?" He cupped his hands down by his knees. Cassidy nodded and set her foot in his hands. Tech lifted her up and over him, and on top of one of the robots.

Cassidy ducked to avoid getting hit by the robot's arms. "I'll get this one!" Her hands and eyes glowed blue as she began to melt the robot's body, using her jetpack so she wouldn't get burned by the melting metal.

"I'll get the next one." Tech's eyes and hands glowed green as he crushed the second robot.

"My turn my turn my turn!" Rev flew around the thrid robot's middle as fast as he could, and the heat he created melted it.

Meanwhile, Mastermind searched through all of the machines, searching for a certain one. She paused at one and inspected it. "This isn't exactly what I was hoping for, but it should keep those annoying pests busy for a while."

Ace and Lexi were cornered by two robots. Ace did the same as Tech and lifted Lexi over his head. Lexi pushed herself off the wall and landed expertly on one robot's head. "Ready, Ace?" She called.

"Ready!" Ace drew out the GSS and lunged at the robot that Lexi was standing on. A large blast came from it and hit the robot's legs. At the same time, Lexi brain-blasted the head off of it and the other robot. She jumped off as the robots came crashing to the ground.

Meanwhile, Duck and Slam were being chased by the last two robots. After nearly running into each other, they stood back-to-back. Just as the robots were about to fire at them, Duck and Slam activated their jetpacks and flew upwards. The lasers missed their target and hit the robots instead.

"Where's Mastermind?" Ace asked as the Loonatics gathered together.

"This way!" Rev led the way through a maze of machinery, going slow enough for the others to keep up. They froze when they saw Mastermind at the control panel of a small, death-ray-like machine. Mastermind smirked as she pointed it at them and fired. The Loonatics were covered in a white-ish glow and they slowly fainted to the ground as each one blacked out.

**(End Chapter)**


	3. Chapter 3 : Chaos and Confusion

**And here is the chapter where everything gets really confusing. And a little bit halarious! My longest chapter yet! My original idea was to have Duck, Rev and Slam switch, but, that wouldn't give Duck the chance to be 'Duck', now would it?**

**Chapter 2: "Chaos and Confusion"**

Ace's eyes slowly opened. He rubbed his head. "Owww... how did we let her hit us that easy?" Lexi's green ribbon floated in

front of his face. He pulled on it, only to find out that it was tied to his ears. He glanced down at himself. He was now wearing a black-and-pink uniform. "What the? I'm... LEXI?! TECH! CASSIDY! Wake up! Something is seriously wrong!"

Tech sat up, rubbing his head, as well. "Lexi? What's wrong with your voice?"

Cassidy sat up. "Yeah, you sound like Ace."

Ace blinked. Cassidy's voice came from Tech's mouth, and Tech's voice came from Cassidy's mouth. "Uh... Tech. Cassidy. Look at each other for a minute."

They glanced at each other calmly, then jumped backwards.  
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!... I'm you? You're me?" They gasped at the same time. "... AAAAHHHHH!!!!!"

"Sheesh. What's all the yelling about?" Duck grumbled, picking himself off the floor. "Whoa... okay, wait a minute. Why do I suddenly feel so tall?" He glanced down at himself. "Am I dreaming, or did I just switch bodies with Ace?" He glanced at Ace, Tech, and Cassidy. "Am I the only one?" They shook their heads.

"AAAHH!!!!" Lexi screamed, jumping up. "I'M... DUCK?"

"Uh... guys? We have a problem." Rev announced.

"Big problem." Slam agreed. Rev and Slam had switched bodies, as well.

"Okay, just calm down, gang. Tech? Cassidy? Any theories?" Ace asked.

"I've got one." Duck put in. "We all switched minds."

"Thank you, Professor Obvious." Cassidy rolled her eyes.

"But, it's absolutely impossible to switch minds. It's never been scientifically proven!" Tech was slightly confused.

"That may be, but it doesn't explain why you have fire-red hair, now does it?" Lexi pointed out.

"What happened in here?!" The Loonatics turned around to see two scientists walking towards them.

Ace walked up to them. "We're really sorry, but Mallory Mastermind broke in here, and well, we need some information."

The scientists stared at him for a moment, then seemed to understand what had happened. "I do believe that she hit you with our brain-switch ray." The one stated.

"And she took it with her." Lexi cut in. Ace and the scientists joined her and the other Loonatics.

"Oh no!" The second scientist gasped. "She also stole the Neutronalizer!"

"Neutro-what?" Duck asked.

"Neutronalizer. A machine capable of sucking all of the energy out of electronic devices and firing it back." Tech explained.

"And when fired back, the energy is twice as big as it was before." Cassidy added. The scientists nodded.

"Well, let's head back to HQ and figure out what our next move is." Ace said.

**.RED TRIANGLE.**

"We should tell Zadavia about what happened." Lexi suggested. Ace nodded, pressing the button on the holo-com.

Zadavia's hologram appeared. "How did your mission go?"

"Not quite as planned." Ace said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Zadavia blinked. "Lexi? What happened to your voice?"

"My voice is fine, Zadavia, but we have other problems to deal with." Lexi said.

"What happened?"

"Well, Mastermind broke in and we went to stop her but she sent her robots after us and after we had dealt with the robots she fired a brain-switch ray on us and we all switched minds." Rev tried to talk as fast as he usually did, but had no luck. "Okay, that ray must have messed with our powers, cause I'm talking slow now."

"Is there anyway for you to switch back?"

"We are not completely sure, but I bet Tech and Cassidy can fill in the blanks."

**.GREEN TRIANGLE**.

"Good news. Yes, there is a way for us to switch back. We must be hit by the brain-switch machine again." Tech said as Ace and the others walked through the door.

"Bad news. We'll become unconscious again." Cassidy informed.

"Okay, so first, we nab Mellon-head, then, switch back." Duck said.

Tech turned and picked something up off the desk. He handed it to Cassidy. The other Loonatics' jaws hit the floor when they saw what it was, a gold ring. Slam began singing. "Dah-dum-dah-dah! Dah-dum-dah-dah!"

Both coyotes glared at him. "Slam..."

"Hehe. Sorry."

"Anyway, knowing Mastermind, she will have updated her robots to make them immune to lasers or fire." Tech said.

"But only at normal power. These rings will strengthen our powers just enough." Cassidy handed them the rest of the rings.

"Speaking of our powers, I think the brain-switch ray messed with them." Rev said.

Tech shook his head. "No, it didn't. It only switched our minds. We have each other's powers."

"For example, I now have Tech's powers, and Tech has my powers."

"Were you able to find out where Mastermind is?" Ace questioned.

"Easy, peasy! There's a large energy surge in west Acmetropolis."

"Great! Let's jet!"

"Wait one darn-pickin' minute!" Duck interrupted. Everyone looked at him. "I think I should be the leader, since I am Ace, now."

"Give it up, Duck." Lexi rolled her eyes.

"What? I can be cool and calm under pressure. Besides, Tech can't lead a parade, Cassidy is the most nervous of us all, Rev is... well, too talkative, and Slam is... well, Slam." Everyone glared at him, except Ace.

"Hold on, guys, I think Duck has a point." Ace said.

"I do? I mean... of course I do!"

"Yes, you are me, now. So, I guess it's only fair to give you a turn." Ace nodded. "Now, as I was saying, Let's.." Duck cleared his throat pointedly. "Sorry, Duck, go ahead."

"Okay, team, CHARGE!"

**.ORANGE TRIANGLE.**

"I see you've found me again." Mastermind said as she saw the Loonatics break into her lair.

"Give it up, Mellon-head! We've got you, now!" Duck shouted.

"I don't think so. You're on my turf, so you play by my rules!"

Before any of the Loonatics could react, the floor was covered in a thick layer of ice. Duck fired two lasers at one robot. It blew up in a bunch of peices. A large one was headed in Lexi's direction. She backflipped to avoid it, but slid and landed on her back.

Ace gasped as he saw Lexi about to be hit. "LEXI!"

**(End Chapter)**

**Yes, long. But I couldn't find a good place to stop. Enjoy!XD**


	4. Chapter 4 : Missing In Action

**Chapter 3: "Missing In Action"**

Lexi gave a small shriek as the large hunk of metal came flying at her. Ace dove and did a hand-spring, grabbing Lexi's wrist and pulling her out of the way. Ace landed on his feet, but Lexi went flying into him, and the two tumbled a few feet further.

"Are you all right?" Ace asked.

Lexi just noticed that she had her arms around Ace. "Yeah, thanks." Ace smiled at her.

"Tech, how do you work your powers?" Cassidy asked as she and Tech went back-to-back.

"Concentrate. Imagine yourself crushing the robot." Tech gave her a reassuring smile. "You can do it."

"Okay." She murmured, slightly nervous. Cassidy, having been a figure skater for most of her life, knew how to use the ice to her advantage. Unfortunately, being in Tech's body, she was very unbalanced. She easily slid across the ice and took down one robot. She cartwheeled as another robot fired at her. Her hand slid out from underneath her and she landed on her stomach, giving a small groan.

Tech ran up to her. 'My regeneration powers or not, I'm not going to let her get hurt.' He slid in between the robot and Cassidy. His eyes and hands glowed light blue and he quickly melted the robot.

"Tech! Cassidy! Look out!" Rev shouted, noticing another robot, sneaking up on them. Before either of them could react, they were suddenly swept up by a purple blur. Rev set them down, safe and sound, several feet away.

Tech just realized that he was holding Cassidy. He quickly set her down. "Sorry. Are you okay?"

Cassidy, slightly flustered, just nodded.

Mastermind raised her eyebrow at this. "Awww... I see you have yourself a new girlfriend, eh, Tech? How rude of you not to introduce us." Tech just growled at her.

"Okay, gang, huddle up." Ace called into his communicator. "I've got a plan."

"But I'm the leader!" Duck whined.

"Can it, Duck! Tech, Cassidy, Lexi and I were close to being badly injured! I think it's time for plan B. Now, Rev, Cassidy, I need you to distract the robots while Tech, Slam, Duck and I melt the ice. Then, Lexi, use Duck's powers to gather up the water and hit the robots with it."

"Okay!" Rev and Cassidy nodded and performed their half of the plan.

And so, the team set to work. Ace, Tech, Slam and Duck made quick work of the ice. Lexi followed behind, gathering the water into large 'water bombs' and then fired them at the robots. The robots short-curcuited and fell over.

The Loonatics then grouped together again. Mastermind was nowhere in sight. Tech clenched his fists. "She got away again."

"Neutronalizer!" Slam yelled, pointing towards the machine.

"At least she left us the dangerous machine." Lexi said.

"But she took away the brain-switch machine! We need to switch back!" Rev panicked. Tech and Cassidy checked over the Neutronalizer.

**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**

"Uh, Tech. Cassidy. What's that beeping noise?" Ace asked.

Tech muttered something under his breath. Cassidy began explaining. "Mastermind pushed a button she shouldn't have."

"What button is that?" Lexi questioned worriedly.

"If you press it, then you have thirty seconds to get out before it explodes... and it only has twenty seconds left." Tech calmly said.

"We're doomed! Completely and utterly doomed!" Duck began to panick.

"Yeah, cool and calm under pressure." Lexi rolled her eyes. Slam nodded in agreement.

"Can you disable it?" Ace asked.

"Ha! Is water made of hydrogen and oxygen molecules?!" Tech folded his arms. Everyone except Cassidy stared at him blankly. Tech's face fell slightly at their non-existing answer. "Yes, it is. We can do this. Right, Cass?"

Cassidy bit her lip nervously, but seeing Tech confident in her gave her confidence a boost. "Yeah!" Both coyotes started typing away at the control panel of the machine.

"15 Seconds" The machine announced. Ace, Lexi, and Slam exchanged nervous glances, Rev began biting his fingers, and Duck continued to freak out.

"10 Seconds"

"5 Seconds" Tech shook his head. "Everyone run! It's not working!" He grabbed Cassidy's wrist and followed the others towards the door.

"1 Second... 0.." Nothing happened. Tech stopped, confused. "Huh? It should of exploded already!"

"I, personally, prefer not being blown to peices, thank you." Duck commented. "That was so I could get you seven in range again." The door in front of them opened and revealed Mastermind and the brain-switch machine. Not waiting for a reply, she fired at them. Everything went black for the Loonatics.

Tech's eyes flickered open for a moment, just long enough for him to see Mastermind dragging away an already-unconscious Cassidy. He struggled to get up. "Cassidy..." Tech groaned as he hit the ground again and everything went black.

**(end Chapter)**

**I wonder... have any of you noticed that Tech is the only one who calls Cassidy, "Cass?" hint hint is brick'd**


	5. Chapter 5 : A Friend In Need

**Chapter 5: "A Freind In Need"**

Ace's eyes blinked and slowly opened. The memories of the past day flooded his mind. He immediately felt his ears. Much to his relief, Lexi's ribbon was no longer there. "It worked!" He knelt beside Lexi. "Lex, Lexi! Wake up!"

Lexi sat up. "Ace? You're you again!"

"Yeah! And so are you!" He hugged her. She did the same. Both stopped when they heard a small groan come from Tech as he picked himself up.

Tech looked around, attempting to answer the question in his head. His heart fell when he realized it was true. Mastermind kidnapped Cassidy. She was nowhere to be found.

Ace realized why Tech was upset. "Where's Cassidy?"

"Mallory."

A few moments later, Rev, Duck and Slam woke up. They were both happy and relieved to know that they were themselves again.

"Can you find Cassidy?" Tech asked Rev.

Rev closed his eyes. "Yep! Found her!" He opened them again.

"Let me see."

Rev hesitated. "I don't think you want to."

"Let me see her." Tech's voice was edgy. Rev nodded and his eyes glowed red. A light shone from his chest. Tech bit his lip in frustration when he saw Cassidy, still unconscious. Her eyes flickered open. She sat up and glanced around the dark room in confusion. Tech could hear the fear in her voice as she called out, "Tech? Rev? Lexi? Ace? Anyone?"

Lexi scratched her chin in thought. "Why did she kidnap Cassidy? I thought that she would go after Tech.."

Although the others were confused at this, it was easy for Tech to put the clues together. _'She is after me. She knows how I feel for her. She's using Cassidy to get at me. When I get my hands on her, I'm gonna...'_

"She look scared." Slam's voice cut off Tech's thoughts.

Ace nodded. "Yes, she does. But, she won't have to be, cause I've got a plan..."

**.BLUE TRIANGLE.**

"The prisoner has awakened." A robot's voice announced.

Mastermind turned around in her chair. "Perfect." She smiled. "Bring her here." She ordered. The robot left. _'Good thing I always have a back-up liar.'_

The robot returned a few minutes later practically dragging a black-and-blue clad coyote. Although she was absolutely terrified, Cassidy fought against her restraints, attempting to shape-shift out of them, but all to no avail.

"If I were you, I would save my energy. Those chains are specially designed to inhibit your powers." Mastermind walked up to her. "But, he did always like the spirited ones..." She added.

_'Who is she talking about?'_ Cassidy thought. "What do you want?" She growled.

"Oh... just a little revenge. And I'm using you as bait."

"Ha! The others will be able to notice that before they even try to break in."

"I know... but I'm counting on Tech to come and rescue you."

"Tech? What does he have to do with you wanting revenge?"

Mastermind raised her eyebrow at this. "Hmm... it seems like he hasn't told you much.."

_'Told me what?'_

"Well, we have somethin' to tell you!" Both girls turned to see Ace, Lexi, Rev, Slam, and Duck standing nearby.

Duck stepped forward. "Let her go and nobody gets hurt!"

"I don't think so.." Cassidy gave a sharp yelp of pain as Mastermind grabbed hold of her ear. "Come any closer and Heidi here will be experiencing some permanent pain!" Just then, someone's foot came in contact with Mastermind's back, sending her flying.

Cassidy turned around in suprise, but smiled when she recognized the pair of lime green eyes that met hers. "Tech!"

Tech smiled at her. "Did you miss me?"

Mastermind glared at Tech. "I will soon be rid of you mutts and your pesky freinds!"

"Coyote!" Tech and Cassidy returned.

"Destructo-bots ATTACK!" Mastermind stood up and ran for the door. Tech followed her, and soon had her cornered. He pulled out his gluco-gel gun.

Mastermind gave a small chuckle. Tech blinked. _'What did she have for breakfast?'_

"Looks like you have a hard choice to make." Mastermind pointed at one of her robots. Cassidy was struggling to free herself from the robot's grip, and the robot had his laser gun pointed at her.

Tech gave a small gasp. "No..."

**(end Chapter)**


	6. Chapter 6 : Can You Hear Me?

**Chapter 6 : "Can You Hear Me?"**

Tech glared at Mastermind. "Let Cassidy go and I _might_ consider letting you go."

Mastermind shook her head. "That's not how it's gonna work, dog breath. If you let me go, I will be happy to give you your precious Cassidy back. But, if you capture me, it's lights out for her... permanently."

Tech hesitated._ 'I need to capture Mallory... but, Cassidy... I...'_

Ace's voice interupted his thoughts. "Tech! Get Cassidy! We'll deal with Mallory!" Ace ran toward him, but a robot reached out and swiped him off his feet.

Tech glanced back and forth between Mastermind and Cassidy. _'I'll get another chance to capture Mallory, you can't replace a friend.'_ He glared at Mallory once more before dropping his gluco-gel cannon and rushing to help Cassidy. His eyes and hands glowed green as he literally tore the robot apart. Tech then jumped up to catch Cassidy.

"Gotcha!" He hung onto her as tight as he could. Tech tripped and both of them went tumbling across the room. He lost his grip on her and the pair separated. Tech knelt beside Cassidy. No movement came from her. It was apparent that her head had hit the wall. "Cassidy, can you hear me? Say something!" Tech felt her wrist. There was a small pulse. He decided to help her. Moving carefully to avoid any further possible injury, Tech layed Cassidy out on her back. He hesitated before bending over her and performing mouth-to-mouth. He checked her pulse again. It was slightly stronger this time. Tech breathed a sigh of relief and sat beside Cassidy, softly whispering to her, hoping that she would wake up.

Lexi could hear Tech's now panicked voice. "Ace!" She called out. Ace looked at her, and Lexi pointed towards the two coyotes.

Ace nodded. "Loonatic down!" He shouted to the others. "Step it up, gang!" He blasted another robot. It took him a couple shots, though. 'These things are getting more and more tougher.'

Rev, seeing his chance, zoomed around a robot and grabbed Tech's gluco-gel cannon. He spotted Mastermind attempting to make her escape. He cut her off and fired, covering her in a thick jelly-like cube. He then ran over to Tech.

"Tech! I caught Mastermind for you! Sorry, I know that you would have liked to get her yourself but she almost escaped and I.." His voice trailed off when he saw Cassidy. "Is she gonna be alright?"

"I... I'm not sure..." Tech stammered. "Thanks, Rev..._Mastermind's lucky I didn't catch her, cause I would have...'_

Ace, Lexi, Duck and Slam ran up to them, having finished with the robots. They became silent.

Just then, Cassidy's head tossed a little. Her eyes flickered open slightly. Her vision was blurry, but she could see the outlines of Tech, Rev, and Ace. Cassidy's head began throbbing with pain. Her back arched sharply as the pain shot down her spine and spread all through her. She gave what sounded like a mix between a whimper and a low-pitched howl.

"Easy Cass, easy." Tech whispered, stroking her forehead.

Cassidy began to panic as she felt everything slipping away from her. Soon, everything was black.

Tech bit his lip in frustration when he saw her body go limp. _'No...please, no!'_ He carefully cradled her small frame in his arms.

Lexi knelt down beside him and set her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Tech, I'm sure she's going to be fine."

Mastermind gave a self-satisfied chuckle. "Too little, too late, mutt."

Tech glared at Mastermind again. But this glare suprised the others. Sure, Mallory had ticked him off several times, but now, Tech looked ready to jump up and strangle her.

Ace stepped in between the potential fight. "Okay, Duck, take Rev and Slam and get Mastermind locked up." He turned to Lexi and Tech. "Lex, let's help Tech get Cassidy home."

**(end Chapter)**

**Yes, short, but, WILL CASSIDY BE ALRIGHT? FIND OUT IN CHAPTER 7!**

**Rev: -runs around room yelling- Tech kissed Cassidy! Tech kissed Cassidy! Tech kissed Cassidy! Tech kissed Cassidy!  
Tech: -pounces on Rev, duct tapes his beak shut, and shoves him into a closet-**


	7. Chapter 7 : Bobby and Bindi

**Chapter 7: "Bobby and Bindi"**

_'Tech, you dog! Why did you hesitate?'_ Tech was silent as he strapped the breathing mask around Cassidy's small muzzle. _'Cassidy wouldn't be in a coma if you hadn't stopped to think!'_

The med-lab doors opened and Ace and Lexi entered the room. "Hey, Tech, is there anything we can do to help?" Ace offered.

Tech shook his head gravely. "No, but thank you. I've done all I can for her, it's up to Cassidy to wake up now. But, there is something I should show you." He led them beside the med-lab bed. He carefully rolloed up the sleeve of Cassidy's shirt. her natural fur colour was dark mahogany, except her muzzle and ear, it was dark brown. In the middle of her arm was a dark brown patch of fur, in the shape of a campfire flame. "Does anyone else think that that's not supposed to be there?"

"Maybe it's a birthmark." Lexi guessed.

"Possibly... but something about it seems strange."

"What's so strange about it?"

"I'm not sure..."

There was a long pause. "Well, I guess we just have to tell Zadavia..." Ace's voice trailed off slightly as he turned to the door. Lexi put her hand on Tech's shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile before following Ace.

Just as Ace and Lexi entered the main room of HQ, Zadavia's hologram appeared. "I just finished watching the news. Congratulations on another successful mission. But, they said that someone was injured. Is everyone alright?" Her voice was worried.

"It's Cassidy... She got hit on the head pretty badly and is unconscious." Ace frowned.

Zadavia was silent for a moment. "And Tech?"

"He's in the med-lab, watching over Cassidy." Lexi said.

Honestly, Zadavia wasn't suprised. Tech, Rev and Cassidy were really close friends. "I see. Well, inform me if there is any change. Zadavia out."

When Zadavia's hologram disappeared, Lexi hugged Ace. "Oh, Ace, I'm worried about them. Did you see Tech? He looked so upset. And he didn't sound too hopeful when he said, 'it's up to Cassidy to wake up.'"

Ace hugged her back. "Truth is, I am, too. We just need to keep our hopes up and try not to worry too much." He kissed Lexi's forehead. Lexi leaned against his chest.

Then, Duck, Rev, and Slam came into the room. Duck automatically quacked out of sight. The guilty feeling in the pit of his stomach was bad enough, he didn't need to see Ace and Lexi kissing, as well.

His quack landed him in the med-lab. He slowly approached Tech. "Is Cassidy alright?"

Tech looked up in suprise. "Since when did you care?" He growled.

"Well, I was thinking, and I think that it's at least partitaly my fault for what happened to Cassidy."

Tech blinked. "It is?"

"Yeah, if I hadn't of tried to be like Ace, Cassidy probably wouldn't of needed to be rescued in the first place." Duck noticed Tech's heartbroken look as his gaze returned to Cassidy. Before he realized what he was going to say, he opened his beak. "You love her, don't you?"

Tech pretended to not understand why Duck said that. "What gave you that idea?"

"Lots of stuff. The way you look at her sometimes, the fact that you two hang out all the time, how upset you are now, stuff like that." Duck waited, but Tech didn't reply. "So, do you?"

"I... I'm not sure."

"That's not an answer."

"OK, maybe I do! Go ahead, laugh. Make fun of me, the least likely person on the face of the planet to have a crush."

"No, I'm not. I'm just curious. Why don't you tell her?"

"I... I just don't want to screw things up between us. She's... well..."

"Special to you?" Duck finished.

"Yeah, special."

A long silence came inbetween them. "Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be fine." He walked toward the door.

"Uh, Duck? Do you mind if we kept this just between the two of us?" Tech called after Duck.

"Sure, your secret's safe with me." He paused at the door. "You do realize if you tell anyone I went soft on you that I will make you regret it, right?"

"Yes, Duck, I know." Tech rolled his eyes. _'Same old Duck, no matter what happens.'_ When the door closed, Tech stood up and walked towards the widow. From way up in the tower, he could see a lot of Acmetropolis, including Acme Park.

_'Cassidy always loved going there.'_ He thought. _'Something very special happened there to the both of us.'_ A smile curled on his lips as he remembered that day, a day he would always hold special to his heart.

**.PINK TRIANGLE.**

The next day, Tech looked up when he heard the doors open. Lexi walked in. Tech forced a smile to her.

"Hi, Tech." She smiled at him.

"Hey." Tech noticed something in her hand. A small, mahogany-coloured toy puppy. "What's that?"

"It's Cassidy's. She showed it to me during our vacation. She said it was very special to her. I know that this sounds stupid, but I thought that if I brought it up here, it might, well, bring some good luck."

"Thanks. And, no, it doesn't sound stupid. Besides, Cassidy could use all the good luck she can get." He frowned, remembering that the longer she was unconscious, the weaker she would become.

Lexi handed the stuffed doll to Tech. "Her name's Bindi. As you can see, she's a figure skater." The purple skating dress and plush skates were a dead give-away. Lexi smiled once more at Tech before leaving.

Tech tucked the doll under Cassidy's arm. A thought flew to his mind. He opened one of the desk drawers and pulled out a shoebox. Out of that, he pulled a sandy-brown toy puppy. The one eye was only hanging by a single thread. The stuffed toy was wearing a red waistcoat. "Hey, Bobby. I'd like you to meet someone." Tech said, glancing at Bindi and Cassidy.

As he returned Bobby to his shoebox, Tech wondered why Bindi was so special to Cassidy._ 'Maybe her parents gave it to her.'_ He guessed. _'Hmm... funny though, I don't think she ever told me about them.'_ Now that he thought about it, she had never once even mentioned them. _'I wonder why.'_

**(end chapter)**

**Why was AcmePark so special to Cassidy and Tech? What happened to them there? Who are Cassidy's parents? Why did Cassidy never mention them? I can answer all of them, but I won't. At least, not right now. A few of you may know the 'special event' that took place in AcmePark. But, only I know about Cassidy's family! STAY TUNED!**

**PS: "Bobby" is credit of Akira Cat!**


	8. Chapter 8 : Why Don't You Tell Her?

**Chapter : "Why Don't You Tell Her?"**

"Come on, Cassidy, please wake up." Tech whispered.

Just then, the med-lab doors opened, and Rev came in, carrying two mugs of coffee. He handed one to Tech. "Here, I thought you might need this, seeing as how you stayed up all last night with Cassidy."

Tech took the hot liquid gratefully. "Thanks, Rev."

Rev frowned when he saw the sad, worried look on his friend's face. "Don't worry, Tech, I'm sure she'll be fine, besides, you said that she did wake up for a second and she's still breathing, that's all gotta count for something, right?"

Tech smiled a bit. "You're right. Those are all good signs, but I can't help but worry. It's been almost two days."

Rev smiled and hooked his arm around Tech's neck and pulled him down, his other fist messing with Tech's hair. Tech chuckled slightly at Rev's attempt to cheer him up. But, he caught something out of the corner of his eye, and pulled away from Rev.

Rev sat upright."What is it?"

"I think she's waking up. I saw her move." It happened again. Cassidy's head tilted to the side.

"YAY! I'll go tell the others, okay?" Not waiting for an answer, Rev disappeared.

Tech sat beside her, stroking her cheek, hoping to coax her into waking up. Cassidy's head tossed a couple times, but her eyes didn't open.

Rev went barreling out the med-lab doors and crashed right into Ace and Lexi, who were headed into the opposite direction. "SorryguysbutI'mgladibumpedintoyouGoodnews!Cassidy'swakingup!I'mgonnagogetDuckandSlamOkay?Bye!" He disappeared again.

Ace and Lexi blinked. They hadn't caught a word the roadrunner had said. They guessed that it had to do with Cassidy, so they headed for the med-lab. When they entered, Tech looked up at them. "She's not completely awake, but getting there.".

Cassidy opened her eyes, but her vision was blurred and she couldn't see anything. She heard a female voice. Believing it to be Mastermind's, she began to growl. "What did you do to Tech?"

"What are you talking about?" The voice asked

"You know what I'm talking about, Mastermind!"

"Mastermind? Cassidy, Tech's right here. It's me, Lexi!"

Cassidy's vision cleared, and she could see Lexi and Tech were standing over her, looking worried, and Ace standing nearby. "Sorry, Lexi. I just, couldn't see anything."

"That's okay."

Tech gently felt Cassidy's forehead with his hand. "You must have gotten hit harder than I thought."

Then, Rev, Duck and Slam came in. Rev ran up beside her. "How are you feeling Cassidy?"

"Other than the fact that my head feels like it was hit by a pillowcase full of bricks... I'm fine." Cassidy attempted to sit up, but she felt dizzy and weak.

Tech put his strong arm around her back to keep her from falling over. Cassidy's ears went back and she winced in pain. Tech looked alarmed. "What hurts?"

"It's nothing."

"No it isn't. Tell me."

Cassidy gave in, too weak to fight Tech's protective nature. "My right arm is a little sore."

"I know for sure it's not broken, so I'll wrap it to support it. You'll have to take it easy for the next couple of days, though."

"That means no evil butt-kicking, Cassidy. You don't want to injure your arm further." Ace instructed after Tech had finished bandaging Cassidy's arm.

Cassidy nodded meekly. "What about Mastermind? Where is she?" Cassidy asked.

Rev, forgetting that Cassidy was unconscious when they captured Mastermind, began to freak out. "NO! SHE HAS AMNESIA! CASSIDY! DO YOU REMEMBER ME?!!" He shouted, grabbing her shoulders.

Tech pulled Rev away. "Rev, calm down, panicking won't help."

"Yes, Rev, I know all of you." Cassidy assured him.

"And, to answer your question, Mastermind is where she belongs." Ace answered.

"You've had a minor concussion, nothing serious, thank goodness, so the best treatment for this is some rest." Tech advised.

"Come on, gang, let's let her get some sleep." Ace led everyone except Tech out the door.

Tech walked over to his desk and moved some papers around, and when he turned around again, Cassidy was already asleep. Her ears were folded flat against the back of her head. Tech smiled. _'Man, she looks cute when she does that.'_

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just as Ace and the others walked into the main room of HQ, Zadavia's hologram appeared. "Hello, Loonatics. I just wanted to congratulate you again on your successful mission. Mastermind is safely locked up, and the heads of the top-secret lab are in your debt. And, how is Cassidy?"

"Much better. She just woke up." Ace informed her.

"Great. Zadavia out." Her hologram disappeared.

Lexi scratched her chin in thought. "Is it just me, or has Tech been acting... strange, lately?"

"Now that I think about it, he has been really protective of Cassidy." Duck noted, acting innocent.

"And when I went into the med-lab, he looked very upset and he said that he was worried." Rev added.

"You don't think..."

Ace shook his head. "Nah, they're both too shy for that. Besides, we'd know, if any of us, Rev." He glanced at Rev. "You don't happen to know anything that might answer our questions, would ya?"

Rev shook his head, too. "Nope, they haven't said anything to me."

"Anyone else?" Lexi, Duck, and Slam all shook their heads, as well.

"Oh, well. It's probably just my imagination or something." Lexi sighed. _'Too bad, cause they do look cute together.'_

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, Tech walked into the lab. Much to his suprise, he found Cassidy in there, busy typing away at the computer. He set his hand on her shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

Cassidy jumped slightly and turned around. "Oh, hi, Tech. I'm feeling much better, thank you."

"So... what are you doing?"

"I...um..."

Tech glanced at the computer. "Doing research...on Mastermind." He noted.

Cassidy blushed slightly. "Yeah... I just was curious to know why she became a villain."

Tech turned away from her. "My stupid mistake..." He muttered.

Cassidy barely caught what he said. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Tech didn't respond. He pulled a small key from his pocket and unlocked the bottom drawer of the desk. Inside were several items, amoung them a lab coat and a pair of glasses. Cassidy guessed that they were from Tech's years at the Institute. _'I always wondered what he kept in that drawer.'_

Tech pulled a picture out of the pocket of his lab coat, then sat down on the desk. Cassidy sat beside him as he showed her the picture. "That looks like you... and... is that Mastermind?"

Tech nodded. "From before."

"So... what happened?" She saw Tech's face twitch. "Oh, I'm sorry. If you don't want to talk about it, then I understand." She apologized.

"No, it's okay. I guess you should know.." He paused. "When I was at the Institute, I tutored Mallory. She was a great student, learned quickly, was willing to work - she kinda reminds me of you. But, one of her inventions was built to steal the brain waves from all the greatest scientists and give them to her. When I learned about this, I had to stop her. I informed the police, and she was arrested. Ever since then, she's been after me, wanting revenge. Because of me, she's a villain."

Cassidy set her hand on his shoulder. "Tech, you can't blame yourself..."

Tech cut her off. "Yes, it's my fault, Cassidy! I could have found a better way to deal with the situation. I could have talked to her, or something. But, I didn't! Becuase of my stupid mistake, Mallory's a villain, and you could have been killed!"

Tech's outburst caught Cassidy off gaurd, but her expression softened. "But I'm fine now, and why is that?"

Tech was silent, not sure how to answer her.

"Because you did what you thought was best. And, as far as I can tell, that's what you did for Mallory. Besides, she chose to become evil. She could have chosen to forgive you and understand why you did what you did, but she didn't. It was her choice."

Tech was silent for a few seconds, then he smiled at her. "You're right. I'm letting her get to my head. Thanks, Cass. I guess I needed a good slap in the face." He chuckled.

Cassidy giggled. "And I'm just the girl to give it to you."

Tech's one arm reached up to hug her, but dropped when Cassidy's stomach growled. She put her hand over it and blushed. "I guess being unconscious for two days works up an appetite."

"I guess so."

"Well, I'm gonna go get some breakfast. Later, Tech." She hopped off the desk.

"Okay. Bye, Cass."

Cassidy turned to look at him. "Tech?"

Tech looked up at her. "Yes?"

"Thank you, for what you did for me the other day. It was very brave of you."

Tech smiled. "You're welcome."

Cassidy turned and continued to walk out of the lab, but paused at the door. She glanced over her shoulder. Tech had sat down in a chair and was working away at the computer. She smiled at him before silently blowing a kiss to him. She then left the room.

Tech glanced down at the picture in his hand. He carefully tore it apart and tossed the pieces into a trash can. Tech reached up and turned on the dusty, old radio that sat on one of the shelves. He was just in time to hear the last few words of a song.

_Why_ _don't_ _you kiss her?_

**THE END**

**Thank you all for your many luvely comments! I enjoy reading them! Stay tuned for my next story, "Ace and The Ice Cream Toothache!"**


End file.
